The Drabble Journal
by GuardianAthens
Summary: My collection of various Iramako-Gamako drabbles and short fics that do not fit into any of my current stories. These drabbles can cover prompts from cute fluffy topics to smutty topics and everything in between and far away. Most or likely all chapters will not be continued unless it is copiously demanded.
1. The Denial

_**Prompt: Number Generation/Prompt Selection- 20, Initial denial of feelings**_

* * *

There was nothing to talk about in her opinion about what she felt for Ira Gamagoori. He was a close friend who protected her when Ryuuko couldn't and seemed to be staring at her right now from across the room. She locked eyes with him for the briefest moment before moving her gaze to the floor, trying to control the sudden rush of blood to her cheeks. She shook her head and focused on her lunch, shoveling multiple mouthfuls of food and swallowing it all with minimal chewing. Her thoughts stayed at bay for a moment but the second the food hit her stomach, that tight feeling in her chest returned.

Nothing to talk about how she felt about him. He was a friend and nothing more. She didn't have romantic feelings for him neither did she want to go up to him in this restaurant, grab him by his collar and-

Nope. Nothing at all. Mako continued to eat her table-full of food without another look at her thoughts or at Gamagoori, who sat thirteen tables away in front of one of the windows showing the Tokyo Bay, talking with Sanageyama who was pointing at Ryuuko, who sat across from Mako.

"Mako, do you want that last eggroll?" Ryuuko asked, puling her out of her thoughts and back on her food.

"Of course!" Mako said, snatching the roll with her chopsticks before they started a war over it and plopped it into her mouth with a satisfied sound. Ryuuko eyed her suspiciously before she grabbed one of Mako's abandoned onigiri and nibbled at it.

"Why do you keep on looking over at Gamagoori, Mako?" Ryuuko asked, point-blank, making Mako choke slightly on the eggroll she was still in the process of swallowing. She made an emergency cough before swallowing all of the eggroll down and slumping on to her face, the table's cold metal top cooling down her blushing red face.

"I'm not, he's looking over at me so I think he wants something but I don't know!" Mako defended, looking up coyly at her friend. Ryuuko obviously wasn't buying it at all.

"Does someone have feelings for Gamagoori?" Ryuuko childishly responded, waving her chopsticks at Mako. Mako's cheeks puffed out in anger, her eyes brightening with determination.

"Not at all! Everyone knows that Gamagoori is forever tied to Lady Satsuki and I have you as an ultimate best friend. There is no room in either of us for mutual feelings or romantic butterflies in our stomachs. Besides, Gamagoori would never consider me for anything besides a friend and a rival. My answer is no, I do not!"

Ryuuko still looked at her like she was lying! Mako knew she didn't have feelings for him. Even as her insides seemed to scramble as she caught Gamagoori staring at her from her peripheral sights and watched his face turn red as he switched his staring spot and muttering possibly about how he got caught staring. She really didn't mind him staring, he should-

No other feelings. Nothing more then friendship. Nothing more then mild rivalry. There was nothing to say about what she felt for Ira Gamagoori, right?

…..Right?


	2. Kisaragi Maid Cafe

_**Prompt: AU(or post anime) Mako working at a maid cafe and the Elite Four just so happen to stop by for lunch**_

* * *

"Why exactly are we going to a frilly maid cafe again, Houka?" Gamagoori asked, eyeing down the incoming building to their right, seeing the door open to them with a sign declaring the shop open, a small line leading out on the sidewalk. A waitress from the cafe stood in front of a podium, playing the frill edges of her required maid uniform as she let in couples and people into the already booked cafe courtesy of the lunch rush.

Out of the four of them, Nonon was the most excited.

"You big giant, this is no ordinary maid cafe! This is the Kisaragi Maid Cafe! The amount of work put into the sweets and food within those frilly, blue and silver walls is so perfect and classical! Not to mention the fact that it holds some of the cutest maids I've ever seen! Petite yet tall, with the fullest figures! A working show with bonus food! I can't believe you can not appreciate the art that is maid cafe, you oafs!"

Sanageyama lowered his head to Nonon's level. "Nonon, your gay is showing again"

Gamagoori dodged the flying pink fists of Nonon as she attempted to trample and maim Sanageyama for his comment, disgusted by his blatant attempts to oust her out for the fact that she was a lesbian; which no one minded at all but Uzu has a death wish or something. He was focused on something different then the usual fights between the snake and the monkey. It was on the cafe. He had this weird feelings that they weren't here just by chance, but that he was being set up. He could be easily wrong as he had been the first four times but he never knew anymore. As they approached, Inumuta stepped ahead of them, showing his phone to the alerted waitress watching them.

"Ah! The Elite! Forgive me for the wait. We were just alerted of your reservation. Please come in. One of our staff will lead you to your table" the waitress said, the doors flying open for them as the laughter and chatting form inside filtered out. The others in line groaned at their arrival, hoping that not yet another group had reservations ahead of them, but the groups simply let those in line wait. Nonon was correct on how the cafe was both classical and frilly, but now Gamagoori had to admit it was a good frilly. It worked with the blue, red, silver and gold aesthetics of the cafe insides.

"Please follow me" a butler stepped up to them, bowing deeply before leading them through the filled tables and the arriving and departing maids and butlers, colors and styles blurring into a crowd of silk and tailcoats. Nonon couldn't keep her eyes off of anything inside here, and was obviously enjoying this to all high times.

"Come on! How is dressing so hard?" Gamagoori heard someone shout from the restricted room some distance from their table after they were seated and had given their orders for drinks.

"But they won't tie right! I could trip and fall!"

"Get out there Mako! A reservation's waiting for you!"

Gamagoori watched a petite brunette stumble out of from the door, barely catching herself before she collided with a wall. She quickly fixed her bangs and readjusted her skirt before walking toward him and his friend's table, looking like...

...why was she backlit in light all of a sudden? Gamagoori swore she was haloed by light, the lace of her soft blue dress looking translucent in the light. The maid outfit mapped the curves and packages, and all Gamagoori could do was stare as this...this angel in disguise walked toward him the table he was sharing. A smile broke out on her face and Gamagoori felt his teeth rooting at the sweetness she seemed to spread.

The moment worthy of angelic choir ended as the girl stumbled suddenly once more, the laces of her boots coming undone, trapping her in a shoelace snare, sending her feet into lockdown and sending her body into a fall. Gamagoori was out of the booth quickly, chased by the gasps from his friends as he caught the maid before she hit the floor, his arms under hers so she could land into him. She fell into his chest with a small sound, her hands grasping his arms as they held her up. He kept himself knelt down until she realized that she had not hit the floor but rather hit a wide, expansive, warm chest of a customer who was kind enough to save her the humility of hitting the floor. She looked up at him with an amazed look with quickly morphed into a blush. The same thought crossed his mind and he followed suit with the blush, barely controlling it as she pushed herself off of his chest quickly and sat on the floor.

"Forgive me if I fell into you, sir!" she apologized, not meeting his eyes again. Gamagoori let a small smile form at the corner of his lips.

"You didn't. You tripped and I caught you, which was no issue" he explained. He watched the girl quickly try to tie the boots back up, but he intervened before she could go much farther. "Do you mind if I help you?"

The girl looked at him again, a smile returning to her lips. "Sure! Thank you for the help! No one can show me how to tie these properly and I've tripped too many times already!"

Gamagoori tied up the boats quickly, double-knotting it to make sure that the laces would not trouble the girl anymore. She profusely thanked him for his help in tying her boats right and for keeping her from hitting the floor, standing on her feet and brushing off her skirt briefly before returning his gaze to his gaping friends behind him.

"Oh! You're with the Elite table! Forgive me for that misstep, you three. I'm Mako and I'll be your company and server today for your stay here at the Kisaragi Maid Cafe!"

Gamagoori was really appreciative of whatever lead his friends to this cafe. He scooted back into the booth and gave room for Mako as she joined them for their lunch. She kept looking his way through the entire stay at the cafe and Gamagoori knew he walked out of there with a blush plastered on his face.

"Oi, Gamagoori!" Sanageyama shouted as they walked out an hour and a half later, "You still with us?"

"Of course!" Gamagoori defended, "I'm just a little...distracted"

He could see a brief slip of Mako's hair through one of the round windows as they left. He would have to come back again to see her again.


	3. Earring Dilemma

_**Prompt: Gamagoori can't find his earrings**_

* * *

"Gamagoori, just calm down!"

"I WILL NOT! THEY NEED TO BE FOUND NOW"

"Well maybe if you stopped shouting and sat down I would be able to look for them. You panicking will not help either of us find them, so SIT DOWN!"

"Mankanshoku, you don't understand! Those are my most-"

"Enough! You are falling into panic and you need to relax for a moment! Sit down- no, not on the ground like a baby! Come on, come on, on the couch so you can lay out if it helps. There! Now breath in, breath out. That's it! Your panic-induced flush is dying down. Do you need water, anything?"

"No...I-I'm alright now. Thank you Mankanshoku"

"You're welcome!"

"...what if we can't find them, Mankanshoku?"

"We'll find your earrings, Gamagoori! I swear on my mom's famous croquettes that we will find them safe and sound"

Gamagoori sighed softly into the couch pillow under his head. He knew they were here somewhere within the walls of the 34th hallway, possibly in one of thirty classrooms including the abandoned teacher lounge they now used as their base camp for their search, which was still fully stocked to the nines with everything a student could dream of, from junk food to AC to even crystal clear TV. He had dealt with a ridiculous string of rule infractions here and in his disciplinary duties had somehow lost his earrings, which made no sense to him but one moment they were there, and the next they were gone.

"So we should just start searching in the classrooms, each of us searching a different one and we'll be able to find it faster! Plus they're gold and shiny, so if we shine around these flashlights, the metal of your earrings could glow so we could find them!" Mako explained, holding up two small flashlights, "Now come on! We can find them easy Gamagoori! Trust me, if we can't find them here I will search with you for the rest of the night if it comes to it!"

Gamagoori slowly sat up, giving a weak smile to her before accepting the flashlight she placed in his hands. "Thank you. Now Let's move out! We have 15 classrooms each to methodically explore and search in hopes that my earrings are in them. Start from the far end so we can easily return here once we're done with our task. Is the mission understood, Mankanshoku?"

"Yes, sir!" she shouted, giving him a salute. Gamagoori returned one and opened the door.

"MOVE OUT!"

Gamagoori and Mako were on their mission for his earrings, running to the end of the hall and entering the last classroom on the left and right, turning on their flashlights in the hope that the metal earrings would shine under the bright light. They flipped over desks, went on their hands and knees to search under anything they couldn't lift, and when they found nothing they moved to the next classroom. They sped through them as the search seemed to continue on their pattern of no results, and Gamagoori was getting anxious again. Gamagoori waited in front of their base and Mako went through her last classroom, her flashlight waving around the dark room as the sun slowly sank farther down to the horizon.

"Ow, ow, ow! Stupid desk! Wow, it's dark!" he heard Mako cry, her flashlight dying out then turning on again. "One last place to look..."

Gamagoori watched as the light disappeared and the hallways was left in dimly-lit darkness. He controlled his heartbeat as it sped up and kept calm, making sure he did not slip in his control of the situation. Mako's head popped out of the doorway, flashlight pointing out with her.

"Not in here..." Mako sighed, walking up to Gamagoori as he wordlessly walked back into the teacher's lounge. His left hand went for his earlobes, finding the space his earrings once took up still devoid of them. Gamagoori slung himself on the couch again, deep in thought into where he could have taken them off or where they could have been at. Nothing seemed to click at all besides the tower rooms but Mako was not allowed up there.

Mako meanwhile wandered around the lounge thinking herself, wondering where they could look next for them. Maybe they fell out or something during one of his classes perhaps? Or maybe they were in the tower? She could only think of a few places at best, but most were restricted to her. She sat up on the kitchen table in the lounge's small kitchen area, trying to think of something else she could do.

She flung around her flashlight, turning it on several times before something shined back at her. Something sitting near Gamagoori's Three-Star shirt he had taken off, laid out on the other end of the lounge kitchen table. She scooted over to them and gasped in out surprise, while scolding herself on the inside for not looking around in the lounge more.

"Hey! Are these them?" Mako asked excitedly, holding up what looked like rings. Gamagoori was by her side, examining them carefully to see if they were and lo and behold they were.

Gamagoori groaned as he took them back. "They were in here the entire time?"

"Yep! We may look like idiots right now, but at least we found them right, Gamagoori?" Mako cheered, smiling from ear to ear. Gamagoori returned it as he slipped his earrings back on, thankful of their weight on his ears again.

"You're right. Thank you for finding them"


	4. Rolling Rhythms

_**Personal Prompt/Headcanon: Mako has a tendency to sing out loud when listening to music, and used to do so whenever she could before meeting Ryuuko.**_

_**Recommended Song to Read to: 'Rolling Girl' by Hatsune Miku (or SeeU cover)**_

* * *

The moment she could, Mako tugged out her old beat up music player, twisted the headphone plug around to make sure she heard the familiar scratchy sound of it connecting to the device, shoved both earbuds into her ears and blared her favorite song. She timed her steps accordingly as the song progressed through its beats and motions, moving her through the bustle and insanity that was Honnōji Academy after classes. She didn't bother stopping by her locker as it did not hold anything of importance to her and left the main building with a skip in her step, the song giving her the cheerfulness needed for a skip. She jumped the last three steps and sauntered through the courtyard, letting the rest of the school revolve without her, as it usually did.

Live and let live. She really didn't care that nobody noticed her. Neither did it matter that she didn't have real friends. The ones she had in her head were good enough. The song she truly wanted to hear played as she took a seat along the fountain of one of the courtyards. No one was in sight, and Mako removed one earbud and deeply breathed in before letting her Vocaloid song play.

"_Ronrii gaaru wa itsu made mo todoka nai yume mite" _she sang as the instrumental began, and she kicked her feet to the beat. Her voice grew solid as she took a breath for the next line of the song.

"_Sawagu atama no naka o kakimawashite, kakimawashite_"

A quick instrumental break took the spot of her singing as she listened with easing fear as the next verse started, and she sang it with the strength needed.

"_「Mondai nai.」to tsubuyaite, kotoba wa ushina wareta? Mou shippai, mou shippai. Machigai sagashi ni owareba, mata, mawaru no!_"

Mako mentally cheered herself on as the chorus began, and she sang out loud, strong, and on pitch with her vocal range.

"_Mou ikkai, mou ikkai. 「Watashi wa kyou mo korogarimasu」 to, Shoujo wa iu shoujo wa iu Kotoba ni imi wo kanade nagara!_

"_「Mou ii kai?」 「Mada desu yo, madamada saki wa mienai no de. Iki wo tomeru no, ima.」_"

She caught her breath as the next instrumental break came on, catching her breath quickly. She started to slip at the end in her opinion, but she didn't care. She simply sang as she wanted to. No one could hear her and no one would know it was her. She had her private spot to sing like she wanted to. She took another deep breath before starting the next part, her music leading her where she wanted to be.

"_Ronrii gaaru no nare no hate todoka nai, mukou no iro. Kasanaru koe to koe o maze awasete, maze awasete_.

"_「Mondai nai.」to tsubuyaita..._"

Unbeknownst to her, someone was actually listening to her singing. Leaning against the railing of the circular building wrapped around the empty courtyard, perched up on the second floor, was a visitor. He was smiling as he heard the song continue on as sweet and strong as usual. He could not see around the fountain where he stood, and to this day did not know who sang everyday at the place around the same time. He intentionally did not expect such a thing to happen, but he was captured by the professional sound the singer gave out, and how each other gave a feeling and meaning. The stronger she sang, the more the songs sounded powerful and meaningful. He knew the words to this song near to heart now. It was the singer's favorite one to sing, and he did not blame her for such a taste in meaningful music.

Gamagoori stumbled on to the singing by complete accident, having to complete a miscellaneous job within this restricted section of the school. At first he was infuriated that a student would be so foolish as to be near here, seeing that most of the rooms here are filled with databanks and electronics needed to sustain the Academy and the town. Though as he heard the mystery singer let free her voice, he found himself entranced and very interested. It was a heavenly voice, never once breaking or wavering, simply singing out the emotion that came with the song. The singer would leave promptly after singing for a bit and no harm would be done. He allowed it to continue on the basis that the student would leave and also on a personal hope that maybe he would discover who owned such a lovely singing voice.

He tried once more to see around the fountain but to no avail. No sight of the person still. He leaned into his right hand and opened his ears to the sweet sound of music and singing he found keeping him in chains, forever caught by it.

"_Mou ikkai, mou ikkai. Watashi wo douka korogashite to. Shoujo wa iu shoujo wa iu, mukuchi ni imi wo kasane nagara!_

"_「Mou ii kai?」 「Mou sukoshi, mou sugu nanika mieru darou to. Iki wo tomeru no, ima.」_

"_Mou ikkai, mou ikkai. Watashi wa kyou mo korogarimasu." to, Shoujo wa iu shoujo wa iu. Kotoba ni emi wo kanade nagara!_

"_「Mou ii kai? Mou ii yo. Sorosoro kimi mo tsukaretarou, ne.」 Iki wo yameru no, ima_."

The song ended, and Gamagoori found himself craving more. Yet as he waited there in his perch, he heard not another note from the mystery singer. He walked the length of the second floor walkway to see if he could catch at least a glimpse of the person who sang but still the fountain hid the person behind the voice. He took the risk and jumped to the other half of the building and made his way around, determined to see why the singing he got used to hearing had abruptly stopped. What he found surprised him.

Two One-Star male students surrounded a female No-Star with an obvious menace, the girl blinking like she was oblivious to the fact that the One-Stars had her cornered. He couldn't overhear the exchanges going, but it was obvious the One Stars were pissed and not amused with the girl's act. One sauntered from the other, looking around like he was planning to do something. When he returned and nodded, the boys turned to the girl, who finally realized what was happening. Gamagoori noticed a moment too late, and the boys grabbed for her, slamming her against the fountain rim.

His heart threw him into action, his mind following suit with some sort of plan to stop what was proceeding, and jumped over the railing, preparing himself for the impact when he hit the ground. Dust and dirt flew as he landed, folded up with his knees touching his chest. Both One-Star students looked to him in utter fear as he rose up in height, his intimidation and anger making his size swell well over them.

"Exactly what are you two doing with this student?" He demanded, sending the greatest burning stare at the male students. Thye let go of the No Star and stood frozen like marble under the overpowering weight of his shadow. One looked like he was about to piss himself, and both were shaking so hard in the knees that they looked ready to bow and scrape at his feet for forgiveness. They didn't even try to defend or excuse themselves, knowing that they were doomed for either expulsion or death. The victim leaned entirely on the fountain for support, watching the display with wide unbelieving eyes.

The students scampered away when Gamagoori growled at them, the baritone note of anger hitting them like a bitch slap. They looked like dogs with their tails between their legs as they ran, one falling on his face before quickly picking himself up and running out of sight before he pissed himself in front of Gamagoori. He turned his attention to the One-Star female student, softening his expression the tiniest bit, but kept it controlled and solid.

"Are you alright?"

"Yep! They only pinned me down, it's all good! They do that to a lot of the others in the slums, so we're used to it. I usually sit here to avoid them afterschool though. I had no clue that they would be here!"

Some color drained from Gamagoori's face. One Star students abusing their power and authority over the No Stars and residents by forcing them into obvious sexual assault situations? Why had he never gotten word of such things happening? Anger coiled dangerously in his stomach, the want to hunt down the retreating One-Stars burning into his thoughts. Something was locking them down however. He processed the girl's words for a moment and realized with a start what she just admitted.

She was the origin of the singing he came to enjoy? She was lithe in appearance, not very imposing with no obvious look of neither talent nor experience yet the voice he heard singing songs every day afterschool came from his brunette No-Star? The truth was confirmed when he saw headphones and a beat up music player clenched in one of her hands.

"Oh no, you're mad! Forgive me for being here and causing trouble" she exclaimed before bowing. He hadn't realized that he was changing his facial expression to one of anger, and quickly made changes. He cleared his throat, his thoughts suddenly on he ones he had when listening to her sing with such passion and heart. He had to control the warmth gently rising through his body.

"I am not mad. If you are here to avoid the One-Stars abusing you, then you may continue to do so, for protection," Gamagoori explained, going red momentarily. Mako saw it before it went away and couldn't stop her jaw from dropping open. She quickly caught herself and smiled with glee.

"Thank you Gamagoori sir! I won't let this privilege go to waste!" she cried, raising a fist into the air, earbuds swinging from them like wrecking balls. Gamagoori turned to leave, but stopped momentarily to leave a parting word to her.

"...Continue to sing as well. Y-you have a lovely voice"

As he walked away, trying to control the outrageous flutter in his stomach and the blush burning his cheeks, Mako was promptly spazzing about the fact that Ira Gamagoori, Disciplinary Chair of the Academy and one of the Elite Four, heard her singing and thought she was a great singer with a lovely voice.


	5. Inside My Death Chamber

_**Personal Prompt: Mako's experiences within the COVER suit.**_

_**Trigger Warnings: Violent scenes ahead including blood, gore, torture, death, alien possession, mutation, body destruction and deformation and disturbing descriptions.**_

* * *

She wanted to see what was around her but she couldn't open her eyes. She wanted to scream for her family and friends but she couldn't open her mouth. She could barely breathe through her nose yet her lungs had air to keep her going. She could hear the muted pounding of her heart in the darkness around her, yet she felt nothing in her chest. All her limbs and appendages were forcibly locked into place, the feeling of being suspended keeping her slowly rocking and rolling in place. Besides the muffled sound of her heart in her ears, all she can hear is water bubble around her. She could feel the pressure of feeling underwater, yet no water swallowed her.

She didn't like it there. Fear and anger ran through her veins like ice, freezing her lighter emotions. She wanted to lash out and fight against what was keeping her hostage, keeping her locked away from her own sight, her freedom, her life. She ground her teeth together and attempted to move her right arm, working to fight against the tight Life Fibers holding her in place. They gave way and her arm moved from her side up toward the air. Adrenaline coursed through her body as she struggled and shook as she moved her arm through the void, looking to grab anything.

The lines tying her together burned her as she moved, and snapped her arms behind her, tying her wrists together. She couldn't feel her arms and the Life Fibers around her shoulders seemed to disappear. She gave in the lull of the dark and floated without thought. So much for fighting back. She listened for the beating of her heart and found comfort to hear it start again. If that sound stopped, she knew eternal darkness would follow. She wondered what lies outside of her eyelids, what would she find if she opened her eyes. Would it simply be black, or would she see the billions of threads that made up the COVER? She wouldn't know and could not imagine it. Her surroundings rumbled, temporarily beating out the sound of her heart. She moved her chin half an inch as the pounding of something deeper came into her thread prison.

What was going on? She wanted to see if anything was happening outside of her mind, but her eyes stayed shut to the prison around her. She curled up into herself as best she could and let the primal pounding continue on. She let the burning Life Fibers take what they needed. She let the COVER feed off her and let her mind rest even if for a moment.

Nothing was happening to her anyway besides the leeching of her lifeforce.

...

_Wake up now_

_Come now, open your mind back into life. There is something you can do for me, human. If you will not do as I say, I will force you!_

Mako screamed as the fibers dug into her back, penetrating her body and intruding her muscles and insides. The deadly alien threads dug into her organs relentlessly mapping and hurting her. She couldn't end of shriek of pain and misery as the COVER took advantage of her and ate away at her human form. She couldn't die like this. A few brave threads wrapped around her upper thighs, and Mako howled in fear, violently thrashing around to break free of the torture. The thread count in her body doubled at her resistance, and Mako felt her humanity slip from her grasp enough to have her hysterically begging for her life. Her sanity slipped off its cliff, and Mako broke. The COVER had done damage that could never be fixed or put right. She lost control of her mind and slowly slipped into delusion as the Life Fibers once more entered her body and embedded themselves in too many places. They entered in every place they could find, but left the head untouched. Her mind was already long gone and useless to them now and there was no point in mind stitching her to stop her from moving. The more she struggled, the more they leeched from her.

Mako could feel the sliver of humanity left in her as the Life Fibers took her to her death. Her humanity told her to fight, to resist them, but her dead mid and exhausted body told her to submit and accept the fact that she was their property now. She belonged as a puppet to them, a meal for them to gorge themselves on. Not a human, but a Life Fiber snack on a stick. Nothing more, nothing less, nothing human anymore.

She let them rise up into her head without as much as a blink, and felt that humanity she held once before kill itself before it fell victim to the Life Fiber's cruel occupation.

No more, no less, not human. The COVER battery made of her enemy.

...

_Resilient aren't we, human? You will be my energy forever until you die. Stop fighting or you will speed up the inevitable._

Mako broke three threads as she ran from her cage, watching the red tangle shrink behind her. She had to keep running, she had to keep fighting. She had to get free. She vaulted over a thick length of threads as they lashed out toward her, tumbling forward before shooting off into a heavy sprint. Life Fibers took pot shots at every turn she took, slowly wounding her until a hole the size of her thumb appeared in her right arm, bleeding out slowly. They went for her knees next, and Mako collapsed as they tore through her left knee and set her to the ground. Blood surrounded her as her wounds poured out her well-needed blood. The skin on her knees were all but shredded away, thin Life Fiber threads digging into her body. She had a fair size cut across her face, putting blood in her eyes and blinding her from the onslaught.

She screamed and ripped at the ones who had found their way on to her and bolted again, stumbling around to find an exit to his nightmare track. She jumped over her roadblocks and worked around the clock to pull out stray Life Fibers. She slipped again but evaded the wave of Life Fibers trying to get her. They continued their onslaught of inflicting wounds that created holes in her, hoping to end her before she truly fell to their power. She had too many, and lost enough blood to fall to her knees as they collapsed beneath her, and the Life Fibers took their cue to eat at their prey.

Life Fibers dug into her wounds and took her for food. They shocked her body into actions and she hollered in pain, her dirt-covered fingers digging into her wounds to dig out the invading threads that threatened her life. She wasn't fast enough, and soon they all left her body and grappled to her neck, making her choke on the blood coming from her mouth. She dug at the Life Fiber noose around her, her nails not catching them in the slightest. The fiber flew in by the dozens and took advantage of her open wound and lower defense, entering her and stitching her together the way they wanted. Body parts with holes looked mutilated and unnatural, her right hand now bend toward her at an angle not fit for humans. Life Fibers entering the cut on her face warped her vision, making her pupils white as light and putting their colored thread in place.

She convulsed as they played hooky with her heart, her body going to shock as they twisted her heart into pieces, brutally murdering her attempts to flee.

...

_Your friends, your family, your loved ones, all of them will die at the hands of us._

Mako didn't look away this time as the Life Fiber noose over the fresh gallows now hung the dead corpse of Sanageyama. Brutally whipped before being put to hang to his death, he was a bloody mess of hanging skin and dripping blood. She couldn't blink for she feared the Life Fibers would bring him back in his current condition. Once the image of Sanageyama faded, leaving the gallows to build now to four bodies, she blinked and let the forceful shakes from her bottled emotions free. She had watched Nonon's brutal torture of her hands being torn from their sockets and then watching her hang, Iori's skin being ripped to shreds by Life Fibers and then hung, her brother's drowning torture and then hanging, and now Sanageyama's inhuman whipping and hanging. She felt her heart barely beat in her chest, now drowned in her despair and anger.

'Ira Gamagoori, Ryuuko Matoi'

"No...NO NOT THEM!" Mako launched from her spot and ran from the wooden stage only to find herself forced to her knees in front of it. Unable to move, Mako stared up in fear at the wooden burial ground about to add two more bodies. Gamagoori and Ryuuko appeared on the stage in chains and rags. Both looked like ragged hell but were not bloodied or bruised like those before them. Still something horrible was to happen and Mako fought against her binds, screaming for her two friends facing their deaths at the whim of the Life Fibers. They did not look at her until Mako's voice grew shrill and desperate. Gamagoori lifted his head and locked his gaze on her. He smiled briefly before breaking the moment and returning his eyes to the ground. Mako yelled for them until she lost her voice and sobbed as the disembodied voice came back to announce their punishments.

'Ira Gamagoori and Ryuuko Matoi are guilty of resisting our control and rebelling against our kind. They are guilty of being closest to our prisoner and therefore shall forego their respective pre-death tortures. They shall die by...'

Mako's heart barely beat. The voice was purposely stalling to bring the room to maximum tension and pressure it could stand before blowing. The continued silence continued building tension and anticipation to its peak before it chirped back to life, the alien voice sounding excited.

'Beheading.'

"NO! NO, NO, NO! RYUUKO, SENPAI, PLEASE FIGHT!"

The voice had made its choice. Wooden blocks appeared before them, weapons made of Life Fibers hovering above them ready to ax off a victim's head. Gamagoori and Ryuuko did not resist the punishment or judgement, simply following orders like dolls on strings. The hovering axes parted and made room for the approaching victims, their blades audibly humming in anticipation. Mako struggled harder against her restraints, trying to yell but her voice was now barely above a whisper. They wouldn't hear her. They knelt before the blocks, heads still hung in submission to the law of the Life Fibers. Mako struggled more, trying to get their attention again. This time, she got a smile from Ryuuko and a whisper of a word before she lay her head and neck across the dug out notch in the block.

"Don't cry," Ryuuko whispered to her as the weapons rose up. Gamagoori looked unfazed by the approaching fall of the blade, offering a look of kindness before closing his eyes, "and fight back."

The axes came down in their planned swoops, easily slicing through their necks and sending their heads toward Mako, the dead, bleeding heads staring at her with eyes without light. Mako's tears fell harder and her hoarse cries grew wilder when she noticed that they were both smiling. The stage, weapons and their lifeless bodies included, vanished into the threaded background, leaving only her and the decapitated heads of her friends. Around her lay those who went before Ryuuko and Gamagoori, their bodies the way they were when they hanged, the imprint of the rope around their neck dark and visible. Mako was in her graveyard, staring at the unearthed remains of friends that did not deserve such gruesome early deaths.

Mako's tears dried as she looked back at the heads. No tears, no sorrow. It's a game. Fight back. Fight them. FIGHT!

...

_Wipe her subconscious of this. This will work. Torture her mind, the subconscious, until she breaks, dies or resists in the fights then wipe it for a clean slate. Do your job._

Mako did not know what went on within the deepest regions of her mind, never once discovering the pile upon pile of horror scenarios played out to torture her until she broke without a fight. She simply slept her time of imprisonment away, tucked into a tight ball, her arms wrapped securely around her legs. Suspended over the void of endless red threads by Life Fibers poked into dozens of places on her, Mako was blissfully sleeping away the torture her COVER took to doing for fun. Ever so often she would twitch, feeling something shock her from her brain but it would fade quickly. Her sleep was dreamless, keeping her simply in a state of stasis until something happened or the COVER took everything she had for it.

A deep rumble broke through the silent environment, the COVER ceasing his toying with her mind to fight. Mako continued on in her sleep, unaware that the COVER lost in the battle, and something was pulling her. She winced as threads snapped out of her skin, one by one, by a force pulling her out of the COVER. The last Life Fibers to go were the bundle built up that connected to her nervous system through her spine. It detached violently but did not leave a mark, and she winced again as brightness bloomed behind her closed eyes. She felt like she was flying, not floating like she had, but soaring through the air, rotating around like before. Warm, soft, human hands came around her and her flying ceased. Was she free at least?

Mako opened her eyes, and found her freedom in the arms of Gamagoori.


	6. From Bloody Beginnings

_**Picture Inspiration/Personal Prompt: The birth of their child in a not-so-pretty, semi-realistic way in the one way they did not want it to happen.**_

* * *

"Ira! IRA! IRRA! Something's wrong, IRA!"

Mako held on to her pregnant stomach for dear life as pain ripped through her body, blood-tinted water surrounded her as she knelt on the floor of their large bathroom, recently out of the shower and only clad in a loose tan shirt. She did not expect the amount of pain that simply tore through her abdomen and up her spine, alarms going off everywhere in her body as her baby pushed to be free. She yelled out as another sharp contraction hit her, and blinked away her tears as they fell. This wasn't right at all, and Gamagoori wasn't here yet. She wasn't due yet, not for another two weeks. Was her child dying, was she dying? Did something bad happen to her without her knowing? She reached down between her legs and felt for anything unusual. Her hand returned bloodied, and Mako knew then that she had to deliver now or else she could risk her life and her child's. She drew out what little strength wasn't strangled by the pain and let a last roaring cry erupt from her throat.

"IRA GAMAGOORI!"

She fought against her pain-filled body and leaned against the toilet as Gamagoori came rushing in like a madmen, kneeling down in front of her and quickly figuring out what was happening. He had her slowly lean back against the outside of the tub to leverage her enough to have her able to prop her legs open. He quickly shed his shirt off and placed it over her lower half, using it for a makeshift cover for her to avoid seeing what was to happen. She could barely see him through her torrent of tears, but saw that he was working as quickly as he could to help her through this. She spread her legs apart and shifted more on to her tailbone, trying her best to fight through the pain and stabbing and have her child. Gamagoori was ready in the place of honor between her legs, primed underneath the cover that would block her sight from the gory procedure, ready to help where he could. She wiped her tears away, gripped the tub behind her with one hand and death-gripped Gamagoori's offered hand with the other. She sharply took in a breath, and bared down as hard as she could to push, a scream ripping from her throat. Something was tearing, she could feel something tear as she pushed. Gamagoori suddenly let a string of curses out and took back his hand, working quickly to check the damage.

"Mako, keep going now!"

Mako whimpered, but did keep going with great difficulty, baring down when she could take the waves of pain hitting her as she attempted to bring her child to the world on the floor of their brand new home bathroom. Gamagoori's hands and eyes never left underneath the cover, and soon said cover was splattered with blood. The tiles below them stained red from her womb as the process went on for who knows how long. She continued to push until she couldn't feel her body do it anymore, all her nerves numbed to a point she feared meant no return. Gamagoori's hands were at work underneath the cover, one coming out to wipe the sweat beading on his forehead bright red. He was whispering something, but Mako could not make it out. She went for another long, drawn-out push. Something was pulling on her womb, something felt like it was tied to it and trying to forcibly pull it by its feet.

"Ira, it hurts, it hurts" Mako moaned. Gamagoori grunted, his hands still working at her lower regions, being the doctor they needed most.

"Mako. Just keep pushing, okay? We're almost done. I can feel his head. One more!"

Mako could feel the hard ceramic beneath her hand crack as she gripped the tub harder and bared down hard enough to probably kill someone with her vaginal muscles. She let her roar-like scream out like a siren, her teeth mashing together right after her scream ended. She kept the push going for as long as she could and breathed for a few moments before going again, this time finally dropping off and slumping against the tub in a numb dazed state, breathing enough to stay awake as she felt her womb finally give in and let her child free into the world, and Gamagoori pull out from underneath her makeshift barrier their bloodied newborn child still bound to her body through the umbilical cord. Gamagoori worked quickly on finding scissors while trying his best to clear the baby's airways so he could breathe. A moment later, the baby coughed out water and let roar a cry to shake the heavens.

Mako let her eyes shed happy tears as her baby took its first breaths. Gamagoori searched around him and picked up Mako's abandoned towel from her previous shower before her painful labor began, and wrapped their child within it, taking time to cut the umbilical cord with the scissors he found under the sink. Mako reached out for their child, asking in a wavering voice to hold him. Gamagoori slid up next to her and set the towel-bound child, now cleaned of most of the blood, in her arms. She tucked him up against her chest with both arms, looking down at her little blond-haired newborn son. She felt Gamagoori slowly pull her between his legs to let her relax against something not hard and uncomfortable. The moment she got settled within the hold of him, she leaned her weight on to him, closing her eyes and trying to catch some air into her weak lungs and let her heart and body rest for a moment.

Gamagoori rested one hand underneath the shirt he sacrificed for her, and curled his arm around her, his hand on the back of her head, blood on his hands running into her hair. They did not care right now about the blood, or where it was. Gamagoori let his tears he kept down fall without remorse, letting himself cry silently as Mako recovered from birth with their child in her arms, peacefully sleeping away the silent but tense moment. Mako had survived an early at-home natural birth with no medical help or doctor. Gamagoori helped her give birth by helping get the baby out safely and making sure that she did not hurt herself or the baby during the entire hing, his hands tainted with the blood that came before and after their blond-haired newborn.

"Mako..."

Slowly opening her eyes and tilting her head up to him, Mako whispered her soft acknowledgment, her eyes tired but happy. She had gone through hell, met the devil, played tag with him and ventured back out with a grand reward worth the pain, and she still held her usual cheeriness in one form or another. Her eyes spoke the happiness and joy that she could not vocally give.

"We made it..." he told her, his right hand that cupped her head brushing the small fuzzy blond hair of their child, "We all made it out alive."

"The...the three of us." Mako whispered back, a smile somehow finding its way back to her face. She rested her weary head back on his bare chest, her child tucked to her chest securely. She raised her free hand to brush against the side of their child's sticky face, catching the soft green eyes of their child.

"Happy Birthday, little one."


End file.
